


This can't be real

by Jayers



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-10-11 06:55:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17442071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jayers/pseuds/Jayers
Summary: Weeeeeeeeeoooo.......Its been a while since I published something, so, you know, things that come to my mind.





	1. The Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Weeeeeeeeeoooo.......  
> Its been a while since I published something, so, you know, things that come to my mind.

Jake blinked twice, returning to consciousness, after what had seemed an eternity, only to perceive that his wrists were firmly tied.

  


He could see the dark red cloth, squeezing the skin tightly to restrain any movement. Soon he would realize that he was lying on a worn mattress, dirty by age, on the floor of a dark room. In front of him, there were some wooden stairs that led to a door. Nothing else was there. No furniture. Picture, or recognizable detail.

  


  


  


It was similar to the basements of some test houses, but there was no generator.

  


  


  


As he could, he moved to sit on the mattress, trying to rub his head. It hurt, as if it had been hit previously. The truth is that he did not remember anything, why he was here? It didn't seem to be any joke from his partners. Likewise, none was so twisted to do that to him.

  


  


It only remained to think ... that some killer  would have caught him? But it didn't make sense, the Entity would not let them do anything other than kill them ... right?

  


  


Soon his thoughts had an answer, when the door opened. His whole body tensed, and he backed up so his back was against the wall, he didn't know why, the feeling of having support helped him feel more secure. Since what was coming was not good at all.

  


  


From the door came the recognizable, dark fog that flooded the forests and most places that the entity created.

  


  


And soon he knew that the entity was there, not physically, but he could hear its whispers, low, malicious, and soon he knew it  was not talking to him.

  


But with the Shape.

  


  


The Shape was above all of the stairs, watching his  prey below, as confused, and as restless as he  could be in this situation.

  


  


Jake could feel his heart speed up at times. The worst thing about Myers, was to see him so still, the horrible feeling of thinking about what he will do and when he will do it. Because this murderer enjoyed watching and making his prey suffer, long before killing it in the worst ways possible.

  


  


He soon knew why he was there. He **could** understand the entity, He **could** hear what it said.

  


**_"For you, my favorite."_ **

  


_What?!_

_  
_

  


_**"For you, you make me so happy, I know your wishes, and I give you the most desired."** _

  


  


Jake felt the sweat trickle down his temple, watching Michael cocking his head, as the door closed behind him.

  


  


**_"Have fun"._ **

  


  


It was the last thing Jake heard from the entity.


	2. The Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally I have a little piece of time to spend with that. But this will still a short chapters.

The phone's alarm sounded, causing the boy to open his eyes suddenly.

 

  
He felt the cold sweat run down his forehead, cheeks, and neck, in reality, he was completely soaked. He sat down after a few moments in which he watched the sun filter through the window above him, dimmed by the reddish light of the American flag he used as a curtain. It gave the room a different touch of light, and not a brown of the ethereal wood.

 

  
Running an arm over his face, Jake sighed deeply.

 

  
"Again... those dreams."

 

  
The worst part was that after a while he  couldn't remember them so vividly. Only vague images, but they were always just as annoying. Sleeping pills and chamomiles were beginning to be of little use.

 

  
Snorting, he decided to get up and clean up a bit, at least to look presentable. He was not someone very refined, really if it weren't for the constant reminder that he had to be presentable at work, he would leave his personal hygiene aside.

 

  
He opened the shower, and after getting rid of the sweaty clothes, he closed his eyes, letting the images come back in quick flashes.

 

It wasn't the first time he  dreamed this.

 

 

It was not always the same scenario. It was not a basement, it could be a forest, a farm, a wheat field, a scrapyard. Even a city. But he always ended up being chased by something, he didn't remember the name he gave it  in his dreams, it was just... a shape. Of which he only remembered a pale face, staring at him.

 

 

That thing always haunted him, no matter where he went or hid, it  found him and took him away. He never knew what was happening next because he always woke up.

 

Maybe his subconscious knew it was better not to check it. Because he still remembered the feeling he had when he was caught with that thing.

 

_**Fear**_.

 

And he was not sure exactly what. He didn't want to find out either.

 

Finally he got out of the shower, and dressed quickly to go down the stairs, the smell of bacon and fried eggs and coffee flooded his senses, awakening the hunger he had felt recently when he woke up. Bill turned with his coffee cup and the newspaper in each hand, leaning on the table to look askance at him.

 

"I already thought you were never going to go down," he commented, drinking a little.

 

 

Jake immediately sat down, beginning to devour his breakfast anxiously, provoking a smile in the older one. He still remembered when he found the boy in the middle of the forest, unconscious and hurt. There had been heavy rains previously, and it was a miracle that he was still alive.

 

 

The boy didn't remember anything, except to have escaped from home, and to have gone to the forest. Despite the insistence of his mother, Jake didn't want to return to his home, and planned to return to live in a tent. To which Bill flatly refused. To the surprise of the boy, the old man proposed to live with him, in exchange for Jake looking for a job, and improve that lifestyle.

 

 

It was not easy to convince him. He was stubborn, and with a strong aversion to authority. It reminded him of him when he was young, and that's why he knew that this boy wasn't well on his way to life, not to mention he was wasting it. Already in itself, it was alarming that according to his mother, he was missing for 3 years, and that the police had not found anything just until a few months ago. It was a miracle that he was still alive. And if something had learned from miracles, it was that you had to thank them.

 

So he decided to gain the confidence of the boy as with the animals. With food. And it wasn't misguided, Jake loved hot homemade food after eating canned tins and berries. And soon he already had it in the attic, in which little by little it became his room.

 

It has to be said, Bill appreciated the company that this guy did to him. It was like having a child without having to go through the childhood stage. Although sometimes Jake looked like a child, and he wasn't as old as he wanted to look.

 

Speaking of pretending, he was very quiet.

 

Bill observed the boy better, to see how he ate with hungry, but avoiding visual contact. Oh, dark circles.

 

 

"Those nightmares again?".

 

Jake took a few moments to respond, chewing slowly, and drinking a little of his coffee. He set his fork aside to nod slowly.

 

"Yes...it's so fucked up...".

 

"Do you take the pills that the doctor prescribed?" He questioned, setting the newspaper aside.

 

The boy shrugged.

 

"Sometimes, if I remember." When he heard Bill's snort, he immediately defended himself. "You know I hate being medicated like I'm crazy."

 

"You're not crazy, son, you've only been through a traumatic moment."

 

"A traumatic moment that I don't even remember." He half-mocked, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Every time they feel more real...".

 

A long silence formed, and Jake only heard Bill's footsteps on the wooden floor approaching, until he noticed the callused hand on his head.

 

"You have just had breakfast and go to work. Then, I'll take you to therapy with Dr. Herman. "He gently ruffled the boy's hair, and before he could say anything; "It isn't arguable, son."

 

Jake snorted, but nodded accepting. He knew it was for his health, for his sake, but he didn't like going to a room full of people to tell their sorrows.

 

 

He finished eating after Bill went upstairs, and picked up his coat and scarf, next to the keys of the old man's car, which for now was his only method of transportation until he saved enough to buy one. In part, this felt good, having to work to earn a living. And not having everything served.

 

 

It was a good change, despite everything.

 

Now that he thought about it, going to therapy was not bad either, there were people who went through almost the same thing as him, four of them really. And although he didn't admit it openly, from time to time he stayed with them to talk or drink.

 

 

The five had disappeared for a long time, and appeared without memories. But none of them knew each other. They were not from the same cities, there was no relationship.

 

 

It was a real mystery that the police had not yet been able to solve. Jake decided not to think about it anymore, but he would remind the rest about whether they, too, had experienced nightmares.

 

He started the car and went to work, a car workshop not very big, a little outside the city.

 

Well, fixing motors always helped to ward off his paranoid thoughts from the mind, he would just have to concentrate on working and that's it.

 

" _The nightmares weren't real._ " He thoughts, before getting out of the car, and going to work.


	3. The Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Writing more than 500 words? Wow. MIRACLE!

He arrived at work about 20 minutes later, parking in the places for employees.

 

Auto Heaven Workshop. Curious name, it would almost sound better for a...Scrapping. Jake blinked twice, he didn't even know why he thought about it, the word simply appeared in his mind as if nothing. Sometimes it happened, thinking of one thing, and suddenly finding a familiar aftertaste in his mind about it. He never gave it too much importance, everyone had a Deja Vú's once in a while. After turning off the engine, and taking his things, he got out of the car. He still had a few minutes before entering,he could light a cigarette at the expense of Bill's reserve package in the glove compartment.

 

Bad habit of the poor old man, to leave them there, Jake would always take one or two, but not too many, since then he would get angry. Bill didn't like to see him smoke.

 

The sky clouded, and the soft rain began to fall, forcing the boy to shelter under the roof of the back room. Leaning against the wall, Jake lit the cigar, bringing it to his lips to take a deep drag.

 

This would ease the nerves, he expected a boring day, on Mondays there were almost never people in the workshop, hopefully they would have enough cars from previous orders to fix, or cleaning, maybe even inventory. He closed his eyes to raise his head, and expel smoke from his lips. Sweet nicotine. It was almost a beautiful mix with the sound of the rain. Relaxing. Harmonious. The peace and tranquility were something that the boy treasured with vigor. Since you never know when something can finish the good moments, was one of the Ace's favourite phrases.

 

Why the fuck the wretch should have reason?

 

When the boy opened his eyes, he looked by simple casuality to the right, where the trees of the broad forest stretched miles and miles in the distance.

 

A dark **_shape_**. A pale face. In the middle of the trees. Observing him  fixedly.

 

His heart skipped a beat, all his nerves twitching with the sensation of a burn rising up his throat that dried up completely, noticing the taste of bile rising in crescendo. He dropped the cigar to the floor, opening his mouth with a scream that never came out. Sweat trickled down his face, and he was completely unable to look away. A strange and twisted magnetism kept him hypnotized, thousands of images that he couldn't see at all, or give them a sense or order, traveled in his mind at a thousand for hour. The feeling of dizziness was also present, and if  he hadn't been holding on to the wall, he would have fallen to the ground.

 

Soon his eyelids began to dry and he had to blink.

 

But the figure was gone. What? How was it possible? The rain continued to fall in the silence of the place, before it had almost seemed to stop beside time, a temporary freeze all around, where only the heart of the boy had been the only sound pumping in his ears.

 

Jake breathed quickly, and didn't know why, but his body, endowed with a will of its own, even if his subconscious shouted at him not to do so, moved to approach slowly, towards the trees. It was stupid in anyone's eyes, but it was a natural instinct in the human being, to want to make sure that he had just seen it, what he thought impossible,  was real. Even if it was the most disturbing thing he had seen or felt before.

 

The shape  of his dreams, dark with a pale face, the one that created that sensation of fear and something that he could not give a name to, that extra sensation that linked strangely to the single image of that thing. That magnetism ... it was impossible. It could not exist. I could not be there. It was almost ironic and contradictory that he really wanted it to exist at the same time. Do not believe that he _was crazy_. Not believing that he was going to need medication to control this because he really was about to shoot himself.

 

The rain began to soak him, with each slow step he took. And he didn't care. He didn't feel the cold right now, on the contrary,Jake was almost feverish, and it was probably because of the adrenaline of the moment. Each time he was closer, and began to notice how he was missing the air. He had reduced his breathing so much that he could barely hear it himself. As if afraid to be heard.

 

It was strangely familiar too, wanting to go like this, unnoticed, almost invisible. For fear of being heard, as if that will lead to very bad consequences. He could not deny that it felt almost natural on him.

 

Because, what could it do on him? In his dreams he never quite saw what was happening, a voice in his head told him not to be stupid, and to think logically. Nothing good would come out of this. But he was even more stupid, and he continued to advance without being intimidated, swallowing as he approached more.

 

A little more, and he could...

 

He gave a loud cry this time, in panic, turning sharply when he noticed a hand on his shoulder. He frantically waved his arms away, or pushed whatever was behind him that he had not noticed. He would almost have fallen backwards, stumbling over his clumsy and nervous steps if not for the same hand that stabilized him.

 

Jake breathed quickly, but his heart rate dropped at the realization of who he was.

 

"Hey dude, calm  down man." David looked him up and down, with surprise of course, he didn't expect to see his co-worker walking under the rain towards the forest, acting like a madman. "Have you drank Red Bull again?" He tried to joke to calm the sudden tension in the air, and the boy's gray gaze.

 

"Fuck off," the blackhaired replied, releasing the air he had been holding back to calm down, feeling the adrenaline coming down slowly, but that did not alleviate his aching heart. Damn he could have given him a heart attack quietly! Of course David was not entirely to blame, but he was not paying attention to the fact that David normally arrived at the same time as him.

 

Damn again, he didn't even listen when he parked the bike? He really was completely lost at that moment.

 

David laughed a little, pulling him to shelter from the rain, resisting the temptation to rip his hair. The Japanese half of Jake that made him short was almost cute, never missed opportunity to highlight that feature, even if the other irritated him all the time.

 

"What the fuck were you doing? I know that is not the best job in history, but you know, you don't have to run away to the forest, although you've done it once, right? "He mocked, seconds later he regretted this joke, obviously for the events after that. "Hey, I im sorry about that, I didn't want to s...".

 

"Never mind, stop bullshit and let's go." He quickly cut the explanation, didn't need to hear that again, David had nothing to do with whatever happened, no matter how idiot he was. And Jake was tired of hearing things like that from other people who had nothing to do with him, no matter how much they wanted to empathize.

 

David sometimes had to thank Jake for being like that, able to change the subject to forget the gaffe he used to do. And that situation was more common than people thought, after all the English one never knew when to stop a joke. Anyway, he was glad that the bad moment had passed, and now both were sheltered from the rain.

 

Upon entering the workshop, his boss, Phillip Ojomo,  left the engine he arranged to greet him with a friendly smile. Jake still despite working for him for a while, it was hard to believe that there was a man as kind and gentle as him. Always showing concern and sympathy that was even hard to believe for the blackhaired.He knew they existed, of course, but this man with dark skin and whitish hair, with clear and kind eyes, almost looked like something out of a movie or something.

 

He simply came to town, built his business and looked for young people to work with, never asked for experience, oddly enough. He had taught the clumsy David, who had big hands, to be able to pull small wires and put them together to run an engine. He had complimented Jake on his knowledge of mechanics, even if he was a little lonely, it was very helpful and he had to admit it, it felt good to be useful.

 

He still felt something strange about him, but for the moment he simply appreciated that he had given him this opportunity to escape from society, in his quiet little workshop.

 

As always, he asked about his condition, and how was Bill. To which Jake responded with a simple "Fine", before going to leave things to his locker and put on the uniform of work. Today it was time to fix the brakes of a black Audi, nothing great.

 

The workshop was small, and he soon found it. He particularly liked that it was only them 3, from time to time Ace, who was a separate partner, came to help. He was responsible for publicizing the workshop, many customers had come from other cities and towns just for the good that Ace spoke of them.

 

Phillip sometimes had to tell him to cut himself a little, since they were a simple and humble workshop not a giant company with all the modern and necessary amenities and appliances. With saying it was a homey place and good customer treatment was enough.

 

Phillip's voice sounded close, gently overcoming the music from the radio that Jake had beside him, which of course, he turned off to get up and attend to his boss. He was tall and slender, one of the tallest men Jake had ever seen in his life. But not only he was great, his partner, Evan McMillan, who worked in a mining west of the town, had nothing to envy.

 

He was more robust than tall, and he imposed like no other man there, but everyone knew he was almost a front, almost, he was still intimidating, but his severe attitude was immediately appeased by Phillip's. Who was not afraid of his appearance and pampered him in public, giving him soft kisses on the cheek when he came to visit or bring something to his boyfriend.

 

Phillip looked radiant those days, and Evan, although he tried to hide it, also seemed happy to please the other with gestures as simple as that.

  
He returned to the present, when Phillip brought a piece of paper with an envelope and some keys in his hands.

 

"Hey, could you go and take a fixed car to this address? The owner has not shown signs of wanting to come and pick it up, but he paid in advance and at least left written where he lived. It is not far from here. "

 

"Sure", he took the papers looking at the address, it was strange that being so close had not come, well there were buses.

 

"Oh, come on, I want to return cars too!" The English protested, cleaning was not his favorite activity but since they were so calm, he could dedicate himself to something more lucrative.

 

Phillip shook his head with a sigh and a soft smile.

 

"Okay, you can go both, so you can take the car and you can both go back without using the trailer. I do not think the owner cares, it was a very old car and did not seem to be careful. "

 

David made a gesture of victory with his arm, and went to leave the bucket and mop in its corresponding place of cleaning. Jake decided to be the one who would drive the old car fixed, lest the other screw it up before it was time to return it to the owner.

 

This car was almost worse than Jake expected, it almost seemed out of the 90s or 80s, if it was not for the paint job that Phillip had given him and the waxing, it could be one taken out of a scrapyard. He didn't feel much confidence entering it.

 

There was a strange smell, he could not identify it, masked with the air freshener, that Phillip had clearly put on. Who was so careless with the car? He understood that not everyone felt the desire or the passion but, from there to stop taking charge until the point of taking him to the workshop, they had to do a complete reset.

 

Jake rolled his eyes at the thought, it would be better to go and leave everything to the owner. He started the engine and the first one came out, followed by David, who was riding his motorcycle, hoping he had remembered to take an extra helmet for himself.

 

Haddonfield, it was about half an hour away, maybe almost an hour altogether. It was a quiet town, and something bigger than his, and here the rain had stopped, leaving all the streets damp with autumn leaves falling from the trees.

 

It was almost Halloween, he remembered himself. He wasn't a real fan of the party, but his little therapy group had decided to celebrate all together, and well, Jake finally gave in to the pressure. What else could he do but? Bill would have pushed him to go with them anyway. Even David had decided to join, and  the Doctor too, mayby.

 

The address was not far, a neighborhood with a long street of many houses almost equal, except precisely, the address given by Phillip.

 

Holy fucking Jesus, it was practically a ruin. Emaciated by the years of neglect, both in the facade and the garden, whose bushes and tall grass almost covered the entrance. It was fenced with an iron fence, whose entrance was sealed with a chain and padlock.

 

He parked in front of the house, getting out of the car to look at it and then David at his side, still on the bike, whistled in amazement at the sight.

 

"It looks like something out of a scary fucking movie. Surely this is where they roll, changing the stage somewhat. "Jake could have perfectly agreed with that statement. "Surely it's here?".

 

"Yup." He looked at the paper again and nodded a couple of times. "No doubt."

 

"Well, dude, I don't know how we're going to get in."

 

It was true, if it was locked that way, only the owner could have the key to the padlock. And it seemed that the owner was not at home. In any case, the politic of the work was very clear, they had to return the car next to the keys. If the owner picked them up or not, it was no longer his problem.

 

Ignoring David's comments and exclamations, Jake approached the fence, and climbed. It was not very high or difficult to jump, and this was not a break-in, at least not one hundred percent. There was no one except the two of them in sight either.

 

"Are you fucking crazy? If something comes out of there and take you I don't would try to help you!" He mocked the blackhaired  although he could not help feeling some respect for that house.

 

Jake rolled his eyes, approaching the old porch, each step he gave resounded loudly against his feet and diminished some of the value he had. He felt something familiar in this too, he was not sure what, it's just ... pressure in his  chest and the need to get out of here. Even if it was he who had entered first.

 

He looked for the grid to put the mail, rusty and obscured, it was disgusting to have to touch it, but only that way he would leave the envelope with the regulatory papers.

 

David just watched him, from his motorcycle drumming his fingers impatiently on his arm. However, he came on alert at the moment, when Jake yelled and tried to get his hand out of the mailbox.

 

"Jake?! What the fuck?!".

  
"Fuck!! Something has caught my hand! Fuck fuck!! Please! **Help**   **Me**!! "He yelled, struggling.

 

David threw the helmet to the side, and running in a hurry almost flew over the fence, ignoring the itch on his legs from the hard landing, he just ran up to Jake, to help him out his hand, urged by his screams.

 

He  was going to grab him by the waist to help him pull, when suddenly Jake's expression of terror became expressionless, and he stopped screaming, pulling out his hand without problems.

 

"Gotcha' " he said simply and with a crooked smile.

 

 

"Suck my dick!  Fucking Dush-Cock-Face!  You scared me! "He hit Jake's arm with a punch, not hard enough to hurt him, but not soft either. Jake shook his head laughing.

 

"I owed you for the other time."

 

"I know, but fuck, this is not done. Not in a place like this, such an idiot, I should break your head with my helmet!" He muttered under his breath." Let's go before my threat is fulfilled."

 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." The blackhaired followed him, just to stop halfway, remembering the keys to his pocket. "Wait, the keys."

 

"As you dare to do it again, I'll leave you here, and you'll have to walk back." He seriously threatened, continuing his way to the fence to jump back and head for his motorcycle.

 

"I can return by taxi, you know it?"

 

He heard David's curse from behind him as he climbed back up to drop the key inside the envelope. If the owner didn't look for it, it was not his fault. If he claimed something, they would give him the address he gave to come and get the keys and the car.

 

The blackhaired paled at the moment, in which he dropped the keys, felt something rough scratch his hand, almost as if it wants to pick him up. He pushed his hand away, cursing softly when a cut was made due to the abruptness. He had not expected this. And the heart accelerated to the moment.

 

More what chilled his blood was what he heard. A labored breathing behind the door. Almost inches from it.

 

Jake wanted to say something. If he was the owner of the car, he could have opened the door. Or open it right now. But he didn't do anything. This only caused chills in Jake's spine, not knowing why he was not running to the opposite side, instead of standing here, in front.

 

Only David's voice calling him from far away, made him regain the sense of what he was doing. And didn't hesitate to turn on his heels to jump the fence, and go with his partner, accepting the helmet and hugging his back to get away from there with the bike.

 

He was not aware of the _**shape**_ that was watching him from the window. How he saw the boy go away.

 

_A little more._

 

_He just had to wait a little longer._

 

 


	4. The Mask

Jake dipped his fried potato at the end of the plate where the ketchup was. Lazily he put the potato to his mouth, absorbed in his own thoughts, ignoring the conversation his friends were having around him. They had left the therapy meeting today, and had decided to stay to eat at McDonals.

 

Unfortunately his own internal affairs couldn’t last long, he had to look up at the mention of his name.

 

"So, what do you think Jake?".

 

"Huh?" He blinked twice, crossing his arms over the table, the potato hanging on his lips as he looked at the four of them.

 

Meg, Dwight, Claudette and Nea looked at him expectantly, but if he was honest he didn't even know what they wanted him to say. His lack of response exasperated Meg, who rolled her eyes raising her arms to the sky, exaggerating a bit her annoyance at the lack of attention he had given to them.

 

"Halloween party! Its tomorrow! Come on man, it's not that hard! What are you going to do?".

 

Oh, so that's what it was about. He had forgotten that, the two weeks had passed very quickly. They hadn’t heard nothing from the owner's of that car in poor condition, and Jake had found himself something paranoid about it.

 

He hadn't experienced any "hallucination" product of the PTSD that Dr. Herman had insisted on the various sessions he had had, both as a group and as a soloist.He had been avoiding medication as much as he could, but on some occasions he had no more remedy to ingest them, always to be in front of Bill or the doctor himself.

 

Sometimes it was uncomfortable to be with him, Doctor Herman was very ... strange at the time of asking his questions, always pulling strange threads about it, asking for exact descriptions of what Jake had been seeing. If it were not for the fact that he had proposed to trust in being in professional hands, the black-haired boy wouldn't have agreed   
to tell anything of what he had initially shared in therapy. More than anything because even with him, he felt like a kind of laboratory mouse, an experiment.God, if even the doctor had suggested that if he suffered from these very frequent hallucinations, they could try a "shock therapy".

 

Of course, he wasn't going to say anything to him about what happened recently, he preferred to be insane in silence that they didn't have to sedate him with medication and tie him up to God knows what Herman was thinking.

 

He felt a chill behind his neck, and rubbed it with a sigh.

 

Returning to reality, they were still waiting for him. And honestly, he didn't know what to answer, as he had told them, he was not a Halloween fanatic. So he simply shrugged, shielding himself in his shell with folded arms.

"Uhm, dunno guys, I have not bought anything. I don't really want to celebrate either. "

 

Meg looked upset and squeezed her cheeks in a childish pout.

 

"That cannot be! We've been planning this for weeks! ".

 

Specifically, "they" spent weeks planning it, Jake thought, eating another potato.

 

"Come on, Jake, put a little on, it's going to be fun." Dwight smiled, trying to urge him to participate.

 

"Yes, be sure, I can help you choose a costume if you want, or even do it. "Claudette always as helpful as she could, she really got much more than the rest, making Jake come out of his shell even more closed, when they started doing the group therapy.

 

It was because she was patient and didn't ask him for more than Jake could or would give. It had to be said that he was not the kind and gentle guy with any of them when they met, he threw them out of their space, he didn't talk, he just wanted to ignore their existence. But with time, patience and effort, she managed to make him see that they were not enemies.

 

None of the people wanted to hurt him. No one was going to make fun of him, because he didn't measure up, because he was not at the level of his brother, because society did not expect what was expected of him. They just wanted it to be Jake. And it was good with them that it was like that.

 

It was also for Jake.

 

"Ok, you win." He finally gave in, earning a maternal smile from the girl.

After eating, and talking more about their own affairs these weeks, they had been to go to the mall, both to look at costumes for Jake and to spend a couple of hours together.

 

The shopping center was on the outskirts of the city, to the south specifically, and it was curious for Jake that such a place was so in the middle of nowhere, but of course it was a wide center of tourist attention. There had even been times, from what he had heard, that the circus used to go several times to offer their shows.

 

Jake couldn't remember the last time he saw a circus. Surely it was on a school trip when he was little. But even that was diffused in his mind.

 

Anyway, going back to the present, it had been up to him to drive them, after all, Dwight used to take a motorcycle to deliver pizzas, Meg and Nea shared a flat not far away, and they went to meetings walking. Or rather running, on the part of the redhead, no matter how much Nea complained that she didn't want to run, in the end she gave in and had to keep pace with the other.

 

And Claudette, environmental activist that she was, preferred public transport, although if he had to take them somewhere with the car, she agreed to go up.

 

The road to the mall was neither short nor long, and to encourage the trip, the boys thought of turning on the radio. Meg gave a loud shriek of excitement when they heard that they were emitting one of her favorites. Party In The U.S.A by Miley Cyrus.

 

At once she began to clap and sing, followed by the others who followed the game, beginning to join the song, even Claudette with how shy she was. Everyone started to look at him when they saw that he was not singing. Oh god and he wasn't going to do it.

 

But just when the chorus arrived and everyone had their eyes fixed on him, expectant, Claudette also, damn .... He rolled his eyes, taking a breath with a smile.

 

"...So I put my hands up! They're playing my song, the butterflies fly away ~!..."

 

The rest continued to sing at full lung, and he honestly didn't resist to continue singing with them, they clapped their hands, raising their voices as if no one else in the world existed, moving to the rhythm.

Jake was no less, and he admitted it, it was fun. These moments where they forgot the world around them, just being 5 young people who had a good time, leaving behind the murky past, starting new lives. Together. The lonless was a balm for Jake before, now, fuck, he just wanted to continue singing with them driving along the road, until their throat ached to sing and laugh.

 

"YEAAAAAHHHHHH ITS'S A PARTY IN THE USSAAA~!" Sang the final as high as possible.

 

The rest applauded and cheered for their great impromptu concert. Oh, and of course it wouldn't be the only and last song they sang, many followed, and Jake in some sang with them, in others he just nodded and moved his head to the rhythm of the music.

 

The shopping center was not so far away, it took ten minutes more to arrive.

 

Once they found a parking space, they got out of the car and headed towards the big building that of course stood out for being in such a place, almost in the middle of nowhere. As the trip was long and singing made them thirsty, they stopped to buy milkshakes while going around, looking for stores that might have costumes.

 

It wasn't very difficult to find one specially made for costumes. To the black-haired boy surprise. The shop assistants were a tall, stout woman with short hair and deep black eyes framed by dark circles and a scar on her lip. She had a piercing look, which studied the group one by one, emitting a weak growl as the only greeting.

 

"Hey, Anna, behave yourself." She received a nudge from her partner. The name tag read "Amanda." Amanda was very different from Anna, short, almost as much as any of them, without muscle, and her face was refined, adorned by a smile that invited them to enter, personally gave Jake a bad spine.

 

"Can we help you with something?" Offered Amanda again, who was apparently sewing a mask of a pig with fur. At the look of the boys, she smiled amused. "We made the masks, almost all the ones in the store I made them, or Anna."

 

"Really?" Meg questioned, now curious.

 

Anna scrutinized her with her eyes, before turning away from the counter to go to a bookshelf. She seemed to look carefully, before reaching for a mask a little higher than her, and extending it to the redhead.

 

"Oh my, its very pretty!" She smiled enthusiastically at the tall woman, for the perfectly carved Rabbit mask with a black veil on the back.

 

Anna responded to the smile with pride and delight to be flattered, teaching the girls who were already interested in seeing more, the rest of the masks she had made.

 

Jake and Dwight shared a look, and the second shrugged with a sideways smile.

 

"It seems we're alone."

 

That seemed, but it didn't bother him either, he thought, as he turned to look at the different costumes and masks that the place offered. As he said, he was not really interested in the party, so everything seemed the same, and he had no motivation to try at least to look for something that he liked.

 

Even Dwight's attempts were more productive than his. But Jake rejected the costumes that his friend offered him.

 

He was so determined to find something, that he practically dived into a section full of masks and accessories, causing the black-haired boy's grace. Well, maybe he could take some example from Dwight and try a little.

 

"Well, let's see," he murmured approaching a stand where masks were available at a very low price. Because one of his goals was to make the costume as affordable as possible.

 

He didn't notice at any moment, while raising the masks, a sudden figure at his side. He was only a hand's breadth from his personal space. When the gray eyes looked down his right side, just by chance really, he almost jumped out of fright, but he only stepped back, standing up.

 

He was a huge man, very tall with an exceptional physique, the boy noticed. His hair was long, straight and dull blond. Of course, what had scared him was not his physique, at least not at all. But the clown mask he was wearing. Those two girls had done a good job, if their intention in doing it was that the one who carried it would really disturb the people. Another factor that kept the boy in tension, was that he hadn't heard him. Nor seen, was he even here before? Or he had purposely approached to him? He didnt know how to say it sincerely.

 

He only noticed the feeling of discomfort, nerves, and tense that this man caused him. Because he was staring at him, barely breathing softly, and still it sounded a little heavy.

 

Jake swallowed, leaving the mask in his hands on the stand. His pulse trembled, he didn't understand at all why. But it made him nervous that this man didn't stop looking at him, being so close to his personal space.

 

"Do you want something?" He steeled himself to speak, without his voice trembling.

 

The man cocked his head slowly, coming closer and faster than Jake would have expected. By instinct, he stepped back, with the bad luck that he got caught between the stand and the man, for not looking at what was behind him.

 

However, he opened his eyes in surprise, when the man reached for him. A vague ghost memory, barely distinguishable in the fog of his mind, told him he was going to grab him by the throat. He didn't know where that feeling came from, but that was not the case.

   
The man was offering him a mask.

 

Jake blinked twice, opening his mouth in a confused grimace, taking the mask in doubt. It was a mask that covered half the face, black with a crow's beak, the eye area was covered by red round visors. Feathers protruding at the end of the top of the head, could camouflage themselves with his hair perfectly.

 

The truth was that he liked it, he couldn't deny it.

 

"Hey Jake, have you found something interesting?" Dwight asked behind him, causing him to turn to look confused.

 

Truth, he had left Dwight behind before.

 

"Uh ... Yeah, this. He has given it to me. "He showed his mask, Dwight whistled impressed as he considered it very suitable for Jake.

 

"Him?" He asked, though.

 

"Yeah, he, the guy who-" he turned, only to find nothing at all. "It was right here," he murmured, looking all around.

 

Damn, he was getting fed up with this kind of situation. Luckily Dwight was not like the others, he didn't take it into account and decided to believe him, or pretend to believe it, saying that surely the man would have left because he had things to do.

 

Definitely it was better to hear or see this in the face of others, that they show you were crazy and that you imagined things.

 

They returned with the group of girls, who were still around Ana, praising her work, and trying on the masks that she liked the most. The stout woman seemed to like to be praised, as she still gave them her full attention. When they saw them they came to see what Jake had in their hands.

 

"A Crow mask?" Meg asked, curious about that choice.

 

"Uhm, yeah." I didn't know yet why he had stayed, but he just did it.

 

"Well, I guess I can work on that, I'll need you to come home to take clothes measurements," said Claudette, examining the mask, with an idea in mind It was amazing how the botany already had prototypes in mind with just a mask.

 

He nodded to pay the mask. Amanda looked at him for a long moment, looking inside the store with some suspicion, and frowning. As if something bothered her, or rather, someone.

 

Did she know who the weird man was?

 

If she knew, Jake didn't have time to ask, because she was already saying the amount to pay, and his friends already had in mind the fabric store for the necessary materials. So the black-haired kept his own question for himself. Maybe another time.

 

Once they bought everything necessary, they returned to the city. He had taken Claudette to her house, since he've had to come up with that she could take the necessary measures for the disguise. He could not help but watch her job, with a cup of coffee in his hands. She was immediately at her work table, marking a pattern with the sewing box next to her.

All for a single-use costume.

He should start taking these details more into account, he thought. He had friends, he wanted to admit it out loud or not, and they cared about him. Capable of wasting a whole day just for this, Jake didn't know if he ever did something like that before, or something similar by someone.

 

But, he thought, as he drank a little, he was willing to be a best friend, and to do this kind of thing for them.

 

His cell phone vibrated, and he turned it on to see a message from David.

 

'Hey Park, ready for tomorrow's party? I hope u' bring ur' bitter and stupid ass to the party with a disguise, because if u' don't, I'll kick ur' ass'.

 

He smiled sideways, rolling his eyes.

 

'Workin'in, idiot. I'm with Claudette to see how I look when she will finish. '  
'PS: U would like it.'

 

The answer, faithful to its owner, didn't take more than a minute or two to arrive.  
'Say what? Are u' with a girl this late night? I judged u' bad, Park ;) '.

 

Rolled his eyes again, of course, had to leave that topic.  
'She's just a friend, stupid pervert. Stop thinkin' with ur' dick. '

 

'I cannot dude, it's one of my charms. Hah '.  
'Better, otherwise I'll be without a dance partner, and absolutely yes, it's an invitation!'

 

The boy opened his eyes surprised by that.

"I wonder who will have gotten your full attention," Claudette said, laughing. She caught Jake's attention and he looked at her with a surprised face. She smiled more. "I've been calling you for a while, but I see you've been spellbound. Is your dance partner, asking for tomorrow? "

Jake felt his cheeks light a little, snorting.

"I didn't know we had to take a dance partner."

"Haha, well, it's a Halloween dance after all, it would be ideal." She continued sewing, until she signaled the boy to come and try the measure. "Do you have someone in mind, anyway?".

 

Jake glanced at his mobile phone for a moment, before smiling sideways listening to the familiar vibration of the English messages, he really didn't like being ignored, especially when he had just proposed that.

"Maybe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lately I am enjoying reading and writing about KingPark, or Parking, or Dake ... I really don't know if they have an official name. I think it's an interesting survivor x survivor couple.  
> David is a stupid brute, but with a good heart.  
> I really need read more about them.


End file.
